A/N: I think I know where I'm going now... kind of. In the meantime, I thank you all for the support - you're wonderful folks! :)

(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)

Chapter 12

"And I just think that if you meant all that stuff you said before about still wanting to act like we're family even after the termination of that ridiculous sham of a marriage between my father and your mother, that you would actually help me out a little with this one thing!"

Jess waited until he was sure Paris must have finished her latest Franklin-related rant before he replied at all.

"Are you done?" he double-checked.

"Yes," she replied, nodding once. "So?"

"So? I told you fifty times already, I don't wanna be a journalist. That's strictly Rory's department."

"You don't have to want to be a journalist, Jess!" she reminded him crossly. "My aspirations fall into the law or medicine, nothing even remotely related to running a newspaper, but that doesn't mean The Franklin isn't great experience. It'll look good on my college applications, and on yours if you actually chose to go ahead and apply."

Jess shot her a look that wasn't quite enough to shut her up on its own.

"You really think that the way to get me to do you a favour is to bring up another topic that makes me mad at you?"

"Point taken." Paris shrugged. "Regardless of college, The Franklin is a great extracurricular activity. There's a chance you could use what you write for extra credit or even in replacement of an English assignment. Miss Tanner likes you, she'd probably let you do that. C'mon, I'm playing right into your underlying slacker tendencies, what more can I do? I'd pitch it via the hot girls that work in the office, but you have tunnel-Rory-vision so what good would that really do me?"

She stopped walking, blocking the door, and forcing Jess to face her. Paris was really good at infuriating, but unfortunately for Jess, she was also pretty good at pathetic and desperate. Plus he had said that stuff about still treating her like his sister regardless of family ties. Letting her down left and right didn't really seem fair.

"I'll think about it," he said grudgingly. "But even if I do this, it's not gonna be a regular thing. This is because it's your anniversary issue and I really don't want your head to spin around and explode."

The smile that came over Paris' face then was just a little too triumphant but Jess let it slide this once. It was kind of cool to see her happy. She was crabby as hell for the most part since Washington, which apparently had a lot to do with the guy she had been on her first ever date with. At least that's what Rory said, followed by a long guilt-filled ramble on how she wasn't supposed to tell anyone, not even Jess. Thanks to that particular news, he hadn't really be able to sympathise with Paris, which was probably a good thing because he wasn't sure he'd know where to begin.

"Oh, by the way, how are things at home now?" she asked, turning back from the door that they almost made it through that time. "With Luke and Lorelai, I mean?"

"Okay, I think." Jess shrugged. "They seem like they got past whatever it was. I don't know, Rory tried to talk to her mom but she wouldn't say much, and Luke says even less."

"Like uncle, like nephew when anything emotional happens." Paris rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, 'cause you just love to talk about your feelings," Jess reminded her, moving past her to open the door to get outside already.

Paris followed, mouth running a mile a minute again, at least until she turned from looking at Jess to looking at some other guy. Jess didn't know him, but he would make a good bet that the stranger did not attend Chilton. He looked like he could be older, and he wasn't wearing the uniform. Paris' mouth had dropped open the moment she saw him, but right now, no sound was coming out.

"Who's this?" asked Jess, wary as ever of people he didn't know, especially when they were walking towards somebody he cared about.

"Hey, Paris," said the stranger.

"Er... Jamie," she forced out eventually. "Hi. Um, how are you?"

"I'm good," he told her, nodding his head.

Jess continued to stare at the person he now knew to be Jamie and his expression wasn't particularly friendly.

"So, this is the guy from Washington?" he checked.

Jamie looked from Paris to Jess and frowned. Clearly he was putting two and two together and making ninety nine, which was why it was probably a good moment for Rory to walk into the picture.

"Jamie? Wow, what are you doing here?" she asked the moment she saw him.

"Hey, Rory. I was just... Um, I came to see Paris, obviously," he said, gesturing towards her, though his eyes were back to Jess' intensely unfriendly gaze.

"Of course you are." Rory smiled. "Well, this is Jess. My boyfriend. He and Paris are kind of brother and sister, but that's a long story."

"Oh, this is Jess?" he replied, the relief evident in his posture and his voice suddenly. "Paris told me all about you. Good to meet you, man," he said, holding out a hand for Jess to shake.

"You sure about that?" he checked, even as he shook hands.

"Jess, play nice," Rory urged him in a whisper. "Jamie is a good guy."

"Good guy who didn't call for over a month?" he checked, loud enough to be heard.

Paris socked him in the arm.

"Oh, no. I should apologise for that. I mean, I was going to call," Jamie told Jess as much as he told Paris. "But school was so crazy..."

"This is really none of our business," said Rory, pulling Jess away. "Great to see you Jamie. We'll catch up with you later, Paris," she added with a wave goodbye.

Jess was not at all amused to be pulled away from the scene, but he went, because it was Rory.

"Protective big brother, much?" she checked, trying to get her boyfriend's attention away from the scene.

"Hey, how much do we know about this guy?" he asked her. "Paris doesn't date, and this guy is older and he's been messing her around, not calling for weeks."

"Well, some guys don't always call, even when they say they're going to."

"Hey, that happened once."

"Twice actually, not that I'm keeping count or anything."

She was wearing a smirk that would rival any he had ever worn himself, which is why Jess neither took offence nor really got mad. He was wary of this Jamie guy though, even if Rory thought he was okay. He meant what he said about Paris, she really wasn't the dating type, and for all that she bugged him at times, he wasn't about to watch her get screwed over by some smug dick from Princeton.

"Y'know as over-the-top as I think you're being, it is really sweet that you're looking out for Paris like this." Rory smiled, finally getting Jess' full attention.

"Yeah, 'cause sweet is what guys go for," he told her, rolling his eyes.

He minded less when Rory kissed him.

"Sweet is good," she told him definitely. "If it helps you're also very smart and insanely hot."

"Doesn't hurt to hear," he told her, smirking before he kissed her back.

They were done with classes and so headed to the car to go back to the Hollow. Jess glanced back a couple of times to check on Paris, only to see her being led away to Jamie's car with the guy himself carrying her books. Rory gave a thumbs up and got one back from her friend, which satisfied her that things were cool. Jess had to give in and agree that Paris seemed happy to see Jamie and that he probably wasn't a serial killer or anything. He wouldn't say any more about it now, not least because he didn't want to be called any more adjectives in the area of sweet.

Just past the 'Welcome to Stars Hollow' sign was where Rory decided to broach a new controversial subject with Jess.

"So, the Dance Marathon is coming up this weekend."

When that statement was met with not only silence but not even the slightest change in expression, Rory tried again.

"Me and Mom have been taking about it, the Dance Marathon, I mean. She always enters and I was thinking maybe I would, either with her if she struggles to get a partner or with someone else, maybe."

Still nothing. It was as if Jess had been struck both deaf and dumb somewhere between Hartford and home. Rory knew he was pretending, obviously, that he could hear every word and just wasn't willing to give an answer because he knew it would be one she would dislike. Jess was the least likely person to attend a Dance Marathon unless it was to make fun of everybody else who was dancing, but Rory figured it had been worth a shot.

With the car parked up outside the diner now, Rory hopped out, not even looking at Jess as she headed towards the diner door. Suddenly her boyfriend was in her path, pulling her close and kissing her thoroughly. It came as such a shock that Rory really didn't have time to get a breath in and was practically passing out by the time Jess was done. Good thing he was holding her up really.

"You wanna win this dance contest?" he asked her seriously.

"Not really," she admitted. "I'm not sure I wanna be awake long enough for that, quite honestly, I just... I'd like to be a part of it is all."

"Okay," said Jess.

Rory shook her head. "Hold on a second. Rewind and explain. What's the okay for?"

"Okay, I will be your partner in your stupid Dance Marathon," he said, all in a rush, watching Rory's expression grow more ecstatic by the second, "but, there are ground rules," he told her definitely. "We are not going to be on the dance floor for more than a couple of hours, I am not doing any moves made famous by Travolta, Swayze, or similar, and if anybody laughs or makes fun of me for taking part, I am allowed to punch them in the face."

"Unless it's my mom."

"Unless it's your mom," he agreed.

"Deal," said Rory happily, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing his face. "Did I mention you're the best boyfriend ever?"

"Yeah, well, I'm only doing this because you're the best girlfriend ever," he said in reply, so quietly she barely heard him, but that was okay.

They went into the diner then, arms around each other, only to find a glum looking Lorelai alone at a table. It kind of took the edge of Rory's good mood.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything," she huffed. "Nobody wants to be my partner for the Dance Marathon," she complained. "I'm guessing because I'm dating Luke and they feel awkward? I don't know!"

"I'm guessing you asked Luke already," said Jess as he joined her and Rory at the table.

"Are you kidding?" she scoffed. "Asking Luke to dance would be like asking the Pope to convert to Judaism - as in not gonna happen, my friend," she said definitely.

"But he loves you," Rory reminded her. "People do all kinds of crazy things when they're in love," she said, grinning at Jess - she couldn't help it.

"Ain't that the truth?" he agreed, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, but... Well, things have been weird this past week anyway. I should've told you, but we had this fight. It was minor, really, or maybe it wasn't, but we figured it out," she explained vaguely, waving a hand in an absent motion. "Bottom line is we're okay now, but I think maybe it's the wrong time to be asking for big stuff like for Luke to do a really non-Luke thing."

"You ladies want coffee?" asked Jess, then off the looks on their faces he added; "Right, dumb question."

He walked right up to the counter, catching Luke just as he was about to walk out from behind there with a couple of plates and gestured for him to follow him behind the curtain. Luke looked confused, handing the plates off to Caesar as he went after Jess.

"What?"

"I know you fought with Lorelai over Rory's dad."

"You what?"

"Look, me and Rory and Paris came by the house to get something last week and we heard you two fighting. It's no big deal and we didn't say anything 'cause we didn't wanna make things worse, but it's starting to look like things can't get any worse, so what the hell?"

"What do you mean things can't get any worse?" asked Luke, adjusting his hat. "Has Lorelai said something?"

"Not exactly. Only that you guys had some problems but they're fixed now," Jess admitted. "But they can't really be fixed because instead of bugging you until you go crazy about this Dance Marathon thing, she's too afraid to even ask you to be her partner."

"She wouldn't ask me to do that anyway, she knows I don't dance."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm a regular Fred Astaire."

"She asked you?" Luke frowned, not getting it.

"No, Rory asked me." Jess rolled his eyes. "Lorelai wants to ask you. By the sounds of it, she already asked everybody else first, which can't be right when she's actually dating you."

Luke gave that a little thought and realised it was very true. Not that he liked having it pointed out to him by his nephew, but apparently it was necessary.

"She really wants me to partner her?" he checked.

Jess put a hand on his uncle's shoulder and looked too serious.

"Help her, Luke-Wan Kenobi. You're her only hope," he said. "That's Star Wars," he clarified.

"I know that. I saw it before you were born, wise ass," Luke replied, shoving his hand away and striding back through the curtain.

Jess was laughing when he peeked through to see what happened, he couldn't help it. Next thing he saw was Lorelai reacting to Luke very much how Rory had reacted to him when he said he would go to the stupid Dance Marathon. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to make all these women happy today. Maybe it had just caught up to Jess how much they had all helped him these past few months, and perhaps a little payback was due.

"Two down, one to go."

To Be Continued...